The Touch
by Peach Wookiee
Summary: An alternate to Episode 95... Jaden and Zane fight each other using the legendary Cybertronian decks. Slight Transformers Generation 1 crossover. Warning: Character death. Please don't hate me... Epilogue up!
1. Prologue

The Touch

Prologue: The Cybertronian Decks

_Hello again, GX fans! This story you are about to read is based in part on the US cartoon drawn in anime style which led me to enjoy the Yu-__Gi__-Oh cartoons, "Transformers." I had been thinking of yet another alternate timeline to Episode 95, but this alternate ending wouldn't be a happy one. What I needed in order to do the story was the proper inspiration for different decks for Jaden Yuki and Zane __Truesdale__. These decks would be based on perhaps one of the greatest grudge matches in animation history… The Transformers Generation 1 grudge match between __Optimus__ Prime and __Megatron__. And so, the story of the __Cybertronian__ decks begins._

_**Disclaimer: Peach **__**Wookiee**__** doesn't own Yu-**__**Gi**__**-Oh or Transformers. If she owned the latter, the travesty of a movie made by Michael Bay never would've occurred. **__**She also doesn't own "The Touch" by Stan Bush, for which this story is named…**_

_**Warning: This story will contain a major character's death. Please don't hate me, because I love this character and am shedding tears as I do what I'm about to do…**_

In the game of Duel Monsters, there are several decks that have gained the status of legendary. One deck is that of Yugi David Muto, who carries the Dark Magicians. Another legendary deck is that of Joseph Aaron Wheeler, who holds the Red Eyes Black Dragon. But there are two decks in Duel Monsters that are actually part of a story begun with another legend. These are known as the Cybertronian decks. The Cybertronian decks hold machine monsters, but these go beyond what you've seen before. In fact, the monsters in these decks were supposedly locked in battle millions of years before the legendary Atem was born. The Cybertronian decks are so called because the machine creatures in these decks hailed from a planet called Cybertron.

The story begins on Cybertron…Four million years ago, on the planet Cybertron, there lived a race of living, feeling machines called the Transformers. Among these groups were the Autobots, a group that wanted merely to live in peace and the Decepticons, a group that wanted nothing more than to conquer planets and plunder them for their resources. Though the Autobots didn't want to fight, they felt that they had no choice but to fight the Decepticons. The Autobots were led by Optimus Prime who, in his transformed Earth form, looks like a red semi-truck/lorry, while the Decepticons were led by Megatron who, in his Earth form, transforms into a gun.

Eventually, the Autobots felt they had no choice but to leave Cybertron and they hoped that the Decepticons would not follow them. However, the Decepticons wouldn't let their adversaries leave their home planet and chased them across the galaxy. The Decepticons caught up with the Autobots, boarding their ship, and the ship crashed down on prehistoric Earth. Four million years later, the ship reactivated its dormant inhabitants and the two sides began their fight anew. The Decepticons were intent on draining Earth of its resources and enslaving or killing the humans, and the Autobots could not let that happen. The Autobots vowed to protect and live in harmony with the humans and stop the Decepticons.

This story is part of an old cartoon series. Perhaps it was the creator's good fortune that Maximilian J. Pegasus loved the cartoon, because the creator of Industrial Illusions made the characters of the show and its later movies into cards for his highly successful game, Duel Monsters. He made two distinct decks, one being the Autobot deck, populated with the peace-loving robots; the other deck, the Decepticons deck, populated with the martial race of robots. At an amateur dueling contest about one year after Yugi Muto retired from dueling, Pegasus offered the two decks as a prize to whoever won. The winner of that contest was Zane Brian Truesdale. Zane was 8 years old at the time and though he had his own deck that he loved very much, he treasured the two decks he now possessed. He decided to keep the Decepticon deck for himself, while he gave the Autobot deck to his six-year-old brother, Syrus.

As the years passed, Syrus chose his own deck as Zane had chosen his. However, each boy kept their Cybertronian decks close to them, mainly because the decks were so cool to them. Perhaps they one day dreamed of using the decks together in battle, but sadly, the day they dreamed of would never come. Instead, another young man would pick up the Autobot deck in Syrus's place to fight his brother who in real life had turned to the way of the Decepticons. And on the day that another young man took the Autobot deck, the original holder met the fate of Optimus Prime…

_And that is the end of the prologue. I hope you enjoyed the explanation of the __Cybertronian__ decks. This will be a story that makes you cry, but I hope that doesn't prevent you from reading and enjoying it. Until next time, everyone, read and review._


	2. Chapter 1: One Shall Stand

Chapter I: One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall

_Welcome back to "The Touch," everyone! A reminder to everyone here that this is an alternate timeline, and the Cybertronian decks do not actually exist. In other words, don't tell me what I don't already know. I'm glad Zane has turned from the dark side, but in this story, he obviously hasn't.__ Again this is an alternate ending to Episode 95. Syrus fans, I love him too, but this is a fic I had to write. __I don't know why…_

_**Disclaimer: I don'**__**t own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or Transformers.**_

_**Warning: Character death. Sorry, everybody… **_

It was the end of a hard duel. Zane Brian Truesdale, once known simply as the Kaiser of Duel Academy, was now known as Hell Kaiser. He had given into fear and anger and was no longer the smart, cool and yet caring young man he once was. He still had the same dark hair and gray eyes, but the eyes showed no humor as they once had. They were staring coldly at his opponent. His opponent was Syrus Aidan Truesdale, his little brother. Sy had fluffy aqua-blue hair and warm gray eyes which needed the aid of spectacles. Sy was also short and in a Ra Yellow jacket. Sy had vowed to fight his brother and win, freeing Zane from the darkness, but that wasn't going to happen.

"Sorry, Syrus," Zane sneered, lovingly caressing the shock collar system he now wore, as did his brother. "But nothing you have now can stand up to my Cyber Dark Horn. Dark Horn, ATTACK!" Cyber Dark Horn attacked, decimating Syrus's life points. Ordinarily, the shock collars might have only driven an opponent into shock and unconsciousness, but in Syrus's case, something went terribly wrong.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Syrus screamed as the electrical shock coursed through his body. The shock not only caused him pain and shock, but also caused his heart rhythms to be disrupted catastrophically. The small boy felt himself beginning to sink and then felt a pair of thin but wiry arms holding onto him.

"Syrus…Sy?" Jaden Yuki, a boy with brown hair and eyes, and wearing a red Slifer jacket, asked with major concern. "Speak to me…"

Sy opened his eyes. "Jay… where's my brother? Where's Zane?"

Jaden's eyes were burning. Zane had turned and was walking away. "He's… he's gone, Sy…" Not just physically gone, but emotionally gone as well, he realized in pain.

"I've got to tell him… I love him and I won't give up…" Sy summoned what little strength he had left. "Jay…do something for me…I don't think I'll be able to do it…"

"Sy…" Jaden suddenly was terrified, seeing his best friend's face go extremely pale. "Don't talk like that!" But Sy reached into his jacket pocket and took out a dueling deck.

"This is my Cybertronian Autobot deck. Zane has the Cybertronian Decepticon deck. You have to use this deck… Save him, Jay…please…" And then, Sy's breathing became irregular and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Sy? _Sy? _**SYRUS!!!"** Jaden screamed. "SOMEBODY HELP!!!" Miss Fontaine, the redheaded gray-eyed school nurse, came running and worked over Syrus's little body for several minutes, her own gray eyes concerned. Finally, she moved, looking at Jaden with very sad eyes.

"Jaden, I'm sorry, but he's gone," she said softly. The crowd around Jaden gasped. But the brunette boy didn't believe her, moving to his friend's still-warm body.

"Sy, c'mon, wake up," Jaden pleaded, picking up the body and cradling it. "You have to wake up. C'mon…you can't be…" The entire academy, it seemed, had gone silent or perhaps everyone had gone away. All the brown-haired boy cared about at that moment was his best friend. _He can't be gone…Maybe if I keep holding him like this, he'll be okay…_ And then he felt a pair of arms, stronger than his own, tenderly taking the body from his arms.

"Sarge…" Jaden lifted his eyes from his surrogate brother's lifeless body, tears running down his face as he looked into the tanned face and hazel eyes of Tyranno Hasselberry, a muscular Ra Yellow boy with dark dreadlocks and bleached bangs which when kept under his yellow bandanna made him look like he was wearing a dinosaur's head on his head. "Sarge…he's gone. There's nothin' we can do for Private Truesdale. Let me take him," Hasselberry said, gently lifting the dead boy and placing him on a blanket that someone had brought from Hasselberry's dorm, hoping to help. Hasselberry gently wrapped Sy in the blanket and carried him into the school building and down to the infirmary where Miss Fontaine could take care of the lifeless husk that had once been a boy named Syrus Truesdale.

As Tyranno carried his precious burden to the infirmary, Jaden gripped the dueling deck that Sy had given him. _I should've fought Zane first,_ Jaden thought. _I really thought you could do it, Sy, and I thought Zane was just acting. I didn't think…he'd really turned bad. You paid the price…Sy… _The tears rolled down Jaden's face and he reached a decision about what to do next. He got up from where he'd been sitting.

"Jaden?" Alexis Rhodes asked, her own brown eyes full of tears. She was a pretty blonde girl who'd known Syrus and Zane since she and her brother Atticus were small children. To see Zane so uncaringly strike down his brother was devastating. "What are you going to do?"

"End this, Lex. That's what I'm going to do." Jaden's eyes were set and burning with a flame that she had seldom seen. This Jaden didn't simply care about having a good time while dueling; this Jaden was out to avenge his friend. Zane was still in eye and earshot, so Jaden shouted, "ZANE!"

Zane turned. There was a small part of him that was crying at the fact he'd just killed his little brother, but most of him hadn't cared. He looked, from a distance, at the brown-haired Slifer and shouted back, "What is it, you Slifer maggot? I have bigger things to do than play in your tournament!"

"This isn't about the tournament, you murderer! Sy's dead because of you! He gave me his Cybertronian deck! Do you have yours? Or did you throw that away too, along with your humanity?!" Zane reached into his pocket and pulled his Decepticon deck from it.

"I have it," Zane called out. "Why?"

"Sy's last request was that I duel you! Do you accept the challenge?!" Zane nodded, moving forward.

"I'll duel you and crush you into the ground as easily as I crushed him!"

Jaden's eyes burned. He took his Elemental Heroes/ Neo-Spacian deck from his duel disk and put it into his deck holder. "Sorry, guys, I can't use you for this battle. I have to use the Cybertronian deck," he apologized. At that moment, his monsters appeared around him.

"Jaden, are you sure?" Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin, known to the young duelist as Aquos, asked. "We will all be here with you, even if you don't use us, but we wish you'd use us, nevertheless."

Jaden shook his head. "Aquos, I have to use this deck…for Sy. His heart's in this deck, and now…so is mine. I feel like I have to use this one for this duel."

Elemental Hero Avian came forward. He was a man in a green bird costume and spoke for the other Elemental Heroes. "Jaden…you will find in this deck that there are many heroes. One of the two leaders will help you to defeat Zane and bring him out of the darkness. Use that leader and another card to light your darkest hour."

"My darkest hour…" Jaden mused. "Thanks, Avian. Thanks, guys." The heroes nodded, and faded away, though the boy could sense their presence.

"Are you ready, Jaden?" Zane asked angrily.

"Let's throw down," Jaden answered. "One shall stand; one shall fall."

"Why throw away your life points so recklessly?"

"That's a question you should ask yourself, Zane," Jaden countered.

"No! I'll crush you with my bare hands!" Zane growled. And a true clash of titans was about to begin…

_And that's the end of the true chapter one. I'm sorry, Syrus fans. I hope you aren't going to hate me for this. Somehow, this fic got in my head and I had to write it. The last four lines of dialogue are almost directly quoted from "Transformers The Movie," the animated 1986 movie. It was at the start of the final fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron. My thanks to the creators of Transformers for making such an awesome movie. Please read and review, everyone._


	3. Chapter II: The Battle Begins

Chapter II: The Battle Begins

_Looks around… All right… I'll adm__it it… I've been edgy since yesterday__ morning. I keep expecting angry fan__girls to come and rip my head off for killing Sy. Or I expected outright flaming from everyone who loves Sy and didn't want him dead. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't kill him off, but this is anything but normal.__Thanks, reviewers for not screaming for my head. __Anyway, I've been doing a lot of research on my favorite Transformers characters from the first series and I think I've got their powers figured out. I should warn everyone that what I know about duels comes from my watching the show. I've tried my best so please bear with me._

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a few Yu-Gi-Oh DVDs and a Transformers VHS tape. And maybe some Transformers G1 action figures…okay, my brother owns those… Scratch that.**__** I just own some Care Bear action figures and My Little Pony action figures.**_

Jaden Kiyo Yuki's eyes flashed in righteous fury as he stared at his late best friend's and, if the truth be told, surrogate brother's biological brother. _Right now, part of me wants to take you down. But…all I want to defeat is the evil within you. I'll save you…for him._ Jaden could still hear Syrus's voice, pleading for his best friend to save his brother. "All right, Zane, let's throw down!" The two combatants took their positions and set their duel disks to 4000 life points. _If there really is a Heart of the Cards,_ Jaden thought, _help me. Let Sy's heart be with mine in this deck._

Zane Truesdale, meanwhile, growled, "Let's duel!" Deep in his heart, the death of his brother was cutting through him like a knife. But the persona that was Hell Kaiser wasn't letting this Zane free. "I will crush you…" _No!_ the good part of Zane cried out as his darker side said this. _ I won't destroy him! I didn't want to kill my brother!_But the darker part of him scoffed, _Yes, you did. You know you did! No, I didn't! You did, and now you can be supreme! NO! _But the darker part of Zane submerged his sweeter side and his eyes became steel. "My move! I summon Rumble and Frenzy in attack mode!" Two small robot creatures appeared on the field and other than their paint jobs (Rumble was gray with white markings, while Frenzy was red with black markings), they were identical in form and attack (200) and defense points (200). "They may look small, but they can attack you right off the bat!" Instantly, the two little creatures placed pile drivers attached to their arms and began to pound the ground, taking 200 life points each from Jaden.

"ARGH!" Jaden shouted, his life points down to 3600. _I'll have to watch this deck carefully…_ "I summon Bumblebee, the Courageous Bug (ATK 800/ DEF 600), in attack mode!" As soon as Jaden laid his card down on the monster section of his duel disk, a robot that looked like he was part Volkswagen Beetle appeared on the field. He was painted yellow, and all of the girls sighed, looking at the cute robot. "He may look cute, but he has more than enough firepower to take down Rumble and Frenzy. He can double attack in one turn. Bumblebee, blast them with your laser beams!" Bumblebee held out his arms and fired, taking down Rumble and Frenzy. Zane's life points dropped by 1200 points, placing him at 2800 life points.

The young man in the black clothing glared at the Slifer Red student. "You'll pay for that, you maggot! I play a magic summoning card and by paying 500 of my life points, I can use Constructicon Summon and Unification! This card allows me to summon all six Constructicon monsters, Hook, Scrapper, Bonecrusher, Long Haul, Scavenger and Mixmaster and combine them to summon the powerful DEVASTATOR! CONSTRUCTICONS, UNITE!" Zane shouted, laughing menacingly. His life points dropped to 2300, but to him, it was well worth the price to summon a monster with 2000 attack points. The Constructicon monsters, all painted in green were in their transformed forms, a crane, a heavy front loader, a bulldozer, a dump truck, an excavator and a cement truck which now came together as a giant robot. Everyone in the audience gasped.

Jaden's eyes widened. _Whoa! What now?_

_Cliffhanger, everyone! How will Jaden and the Autobot deck stand against the forces of the Decepticons' Devastator? Will Sy's heart guide Jaden to victory? You'll just have to stay tuned to the next chapter! Thanks to lunarlight20 and syrusfanatic12 for your reviews. If you're reading and haven't reviewed, please review! I'd love to hear from you! Until next time, everyone!_


	4. Chap III Perceptor Superior

Chapter III: Perceptor Superior, Devastator Inferior!

_Hi, again, everyone! Okay, first off, thanks for not going Red Eyes, Blue Eyes, Elemental Hero or Neo-Spacian on my butt. __I'm glad you like what I'm writing, and I'm also glad I don't have a bunch of homicidal Sy/Sho fan girls trying to kill me. I cried writing Sy's death scene__, and the funeral I see is going to bring a deluge.__ Thanks to my reviewers, syrusfanatic12, Kuvos, dr-fan/mai-lover, lunarlight20 and griffinvamp.__ Sy will yet have a heroic moment._

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, any of its spin-offs or the Transformers franchise.**_

_**Note to fans: The inspiration for the next part of the battle comes from the Transformers G1 episode, "Carnage in C-Minor," widely considered the worst of the series. However, it does give one inspiration for a cool magic card**__**…Thanks to WhiteAsukalover, who consulted on whether or not this **__**card **__**should be a magic card!**__** Thanks, bro!**__** And thanks to 15animefreak15 for consulting with me on Perceptor's line. Thanks, sis!**_

Jaden knew the moment that Devastator was summoned to the field, he was in trouble. _Whoa! What now?! How can I take this guy down?! _The boy looked at his hand, noticing two cards he could use but could not just yet.

"Devastator," Zane commanded, "destroy Bumblebee! Use Devastating Laser!" The huge monster fired at the much smaller robot and Bumblebee blew apart in the signature light flashes.

"When Bumblebee is destroyed in battle, his upgrade, Goldbug, is automatically summoned to the field!" A robot similar to the one destroyed appeared on the field, except that this one had a gold paint job. "And I only take 100 points of damage to my life points!" Jaden's life points went from 3600 to 3500. "And now I summon Perceptor, the Microscope Genius, to the field!" A small red and blue robot appeared on the field with what looked like either a gun or a microscope viewer on his right shoulder. He had 600 attack points and 600 defense points.

"Hello, Jaden," the robot greeted in clipped British tones reminiscent of Bastian Misawa, "I will endeavor to see that you reign victorious in this duel."

"Uh…what?" Jaden asked, puzzled.

"He means he'll help you win," Goldbug translated.

"Oh…Thanks, Perceptor! And thanks, Goldbug!" Jaden said. "All right, Zane. Now I equip Perceptor with 'Perceptor Superior, Devastator Inferior!' This magic card brings Perceptor's attack points up to 3000, more than enough to take down Devastator! Perceptor, attack with Microscope Nuclear Laser Beam!" Perceptor transformed from robot to microscope and aimed, then fired at Devastator. The monster broke into pieces and Zane's life points dropped to 1300. But then, to Jaden's surprise…

"Hey! Two of the Constructicons are still on the field! What gives?" Jaden asked in shock. Indeed, two of the Constructicons, Hook (ATK 500/DEF 300) and Mixmaster (ATK 700/ DEF 500), were on the field.

Zane laughed softly. "When I lose Devastator, I get to keep two of the monsters that make him up."

"Then they won't be here for long!" Jaden grated. "Goldbug, take those sandbox toys to the scrapheap!" Goldbug launched his attack and Jaden was certain he'd take Zane down. But then, a shield raised in front of those monsters. "What the…?!"

Zane had a smirk on his face. "I should have told you, Jaden, but when you attack these Constructicons, they have the ability to negate your attack! Sorry, but you don't get through this turn!"

"Darn!" Jaden growled. "I lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

"My move!" Zane drew and his smirk became a cruel smile. "Jaden, you can't destroy me easily, because now I sacrifice my two Constructicons to summon the mighty Megatron, Scourge of Cybertron (ATK 2000/ DEF 1500)!" The two Constructicons disappeared from the field, and a white robot that looked like he was wearing black boots and black Speedos over his white tights as well as black gloves came onto the field. He had cruel looking red optics like the other Decepticons, while the Autobots had soft blue optics. Jaden could feel the malevolence from the Decepticon leader. "I lay this card facedown and end my turn. I think I'll draw things out with you."

Jaden looked through his hand. _Okay…What now? _One card quickly caught his eye, a robot that looked like he was wearing a combination knight's helmet with face shield and also a king's crown. The face shield and face were in silver, with the characteristic blue optics, but the crown helmet was in bright blue. The rest of the robot made him look like he was wearing a long-sleeved red shirt, white pants with a big-buckled golden belt, and blue boots and gloves in the same shade as the helmet he wore. There was something inherently courageous and kind looking about the character and Jaden couldn't help but feel good as he looked at the robot.

_Optimus Prime…Hero of Cybertron,_ he read. "And now I sacrifice Goldbug and Perceptor to summon Optimus Prime, Hero of Cybertron (ATK 2100/ DEF 1500)! And I equip him with Energon Ax which boosts his attack by 500 points!" Optimus Prime looked back at Jaden.

"Hello, there. My name is Optimus Prime and I am pleased to help you, Jaden," Optimus said in a strong yet calming deep voice. "I will defeat Megatron for you." Jaden nodded.

"Optimus, attack Megatron with the Energon Ax! Destructive slash!" Optimus ran and jumped, then slashed through Megatron as if he was a piece of bread. Megatron disappeared in flashes of light, dropping Zane's life points to 700. And then Zane activated his facedown card.

"I activate 'Energon Boost' which boosts my life points by 2000 points. So I'm back up to 2700. And when Megatron is destroyed, I get to summon Galvatron, Megatron's upgraded form (ATK 2100/DEF 1800)! And then I summon Starscream, the Traitorous Jet and his brothers, Skywarp and Thundercracker (ATK 800/ DEF 900)!" Three robots with jet wings on their backs and painted in red, black and blue, respectively, appeared on the field. "But they're not going to attack because now I sacrifice them to summon my ultimate monster! I summon Unicron, Killer of Planets (ATK 3500/ DEF 2500)! And lucky for you, he can't attack on the turn he was summoned. But Galvatron can! Galvatron has a special ability and can drop the attack points on your monster by 800! Galvatron, hit Optimus Prime with Power-Draining Laser cannon!" Galvatron transformed into a laser cannon and hit Optimus, dropping his attack points to 1800. "But I won't destroy him this turn!" Zane said menacingly.

"Oh, no…" Optimus said, just above a whisper. "Jaden, brace yourself!"

"Optimus…" Jaden moaned softly.

_Cliffhanger! I know I haven't described Unicron yet, but I will in the next chapter! Jaden's definitely in a bind! Unicron is, in Jaden's words, "one ugly dude." He's also one scary dude, too! __And in case you're wondering, in my head, I hear the original voice of Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen, who also voiced Prime in the 2007 movie. __So, will Jaden save the day? Will he light the Academy's darkest hour? You'll just have to stay tuned and read the next chapter of "The Touch!" Read and review, everyone!_


	5. Chapter IV Light Our Darkest Hour

Chapter IV: Light Our Darkest Hour…

_Hi, everyone and thanks for sticking with "The Touch…" I think those of you who are stroking weapons can stop…you'll see why... Thanks to my reviewers this chapter! You know who you are! I'd also like to give a shout out to my friend Softfang who introduced me to Evanescence's wonderfully sweet and sad song, "Good Night, Not Goodbye." And I'd like to give thanks to spiritprime, a member of Deviant Art who created the Autobot Matrix of Leadership card. It was coincidence that I thought of this fic and then went looking on DA to see if someone designed a YGO card based on the Matrix. spiritprime did and I thank spiritprime for it._

_**Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or Transformers. She just owns Transformers: The Movie and the G1 episode, "Fire on the Mountain" on a very old VHS cassette.**_

Jaden looked at the weakened Optimus Prime and then across at the gun-metal gray robot with the burning red eyes that looked as if he was wearing a crown. "I will destroy you _and _Prime, duelist," Galvatron sneered. "It's a pity Autobots die so easily…"

"Not if I can help it, Galvatron," Prime countered. "I will help you, Jaden, somehow."

"You already are, Optimus," Jaden said, "and I'll help you, too, some way." Jaden remembered his facedown cards. "I activate 'Prime's Renewal,' a magic card which helps Optimus get back his original attack points! He's strong enough to take on Galvatron and fight to a draw. And then I activate 'Energon Boost' to bring my life points up to 5500! Prime, attack Galvatron!"

"Ah ah, Jaden, you forgot my new friend, Unicron…" Zane said with a nasty grin. "I activate Unicron's special ability. Unicron, in his planet form, can absorb monsters on both sides of the field. Unicron, absorb Optimus Prime and Galvatron!" Jaden looked upward to see a large gunmetal gray metal planet with a huge orange ring attached to it. And then he noticed that on one part of the monster, there was an orifice and it was opening. And then there was a great deal of wind and both Galvatron and Optimus were being dragged from the field.

"OPTIMUS!" Jaden cried out, seeing his new friend taken.

"It'll be all right, Jaden," Optimus called out. "You will light our darkest hour. You have the thing in your deck to do it. Have faith in your deck and the Matrix!" And then he was gone, along with Galvatron.

"You can't take down Unicron, Jaden!" Zane grinned wickedly. "And now, Unicron will use his power to damage your life points. Unicron uses the power of the monsters he absorbs to attack you directly! You take damage equal to half of the attack points of each monster that was just absorbed! Unicron, transform into your robot form and attack Jaden directly!" And then,

Jaden saw perhaps one of the most frightening things he'd ever seen. The planet monster transformed into a giant robot that looked for all the world like Satan with wings. Unlike the Decepticons in Zane's deck, Unicron had green optics and a cruel-looking face. If Jaden had ever truly feared a monster, it was this one. The monster seemingly stared down at Jaden and fired a green laser beam.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Jaden yelled as the attack hit him and took 2100 points of damage to his life points, dropping him to 3400. "How do I beat this thing?" he wondered aloud.

"You will not defeat me," Unicron said in a deep baritone voice. Every student involved in or watching the duel shuddered at the huge monster and his frightening voice. The voice and his cruel visage somehow made Unicron more frightening than the Egyptian god monsters, the Cyber End Dragons or the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "Everyone will witness your dismemberment."

Jaden looked up at the monster, and for a brief moment, felt such an ache. _Syrus…I wish you were here…_

_Musical selection—"Good Night, Not Goodbye" Evanescence. This author recommends that you have Kleenex with you._

In Jaden's mind's eye, he saw the funeral…All of the Academy students dressed in black or wearing black armbands, filing into a church or one of the dueling arenas. At the front of the room, Sy's little body was in a white coffin, lined in crimson silk and his spectacles were on his face as if he'd fallen asleep studying. And in the crook of his arm was Mr. Fuzzy Bear. Jaden could see himself walking up to the coffin, praying that Sy would wake up. But instead, Jaden ended up crying in his parents' arms.

The boy shook himself out of what would be happening in the future and focused on the present. _I'll save him for you, Sy, somehow…_ "And now I summon the Autobots Ironhide the Brave (ATK 1500/DEF 1400) and Grimlock the Dinobot Leader (ATK 1900/DEF 1700)!" Then a robot in red and a robot that looked like a T. Rex appeared on the field.

"Howdy, there," the red robot said in a voice reminiscent of Hasselberry's. "The name's Ironhide, and I'll be glad to help you bust some Deceptichops!" He held up his fist and shook it at the huge monster.

"Me Grimlock kick butt!" the T. Rex said, his blue optics glowing. "Me King of Dinobots!" And then the Dinobot roared loudly at Unicron in challenge.

"Thanks, guys!" Jaden said. "And now I play a card facedown, and I end my turn!"

"Stalling for time, Jaden? Pathetic," Zane said, his eyes glittering. "Unicron, attack!" Unicron raised his hand as if to smack the two Autobots and Jaden off the field. But then, as Unicron's hand smacked down, it came upon an invisible barrier.

"What in the..?" Zane shouted.

"You triggered my trap card, Zane! I activate 'Wheeljack's Shield!' I have to pay a thousand life points to use it, but it's worth it! Ironhide and Grimlock stay on the field and Unicron can't attack! And now…I sacrifice Ironhide and Grimlock to summon Hot Rod, the Cybertronian Racer!" On the field appeared an orange robot with a silver face, an orange helmet, and what looked like a set of yellow spoilers sticking up from his back and a flame design on his chest with the Autobot symbol in the center.

"Hi, Jaden," Hot Rod said in a young strong voice. "Ready to beat this guy?" he asked, looking at Zane and up at Unicron.

"Yeah, I am…I just wish Sy were here…"

"Maybe he is…" Hot Rod said softly.

Jaden drew a card from his deck and looked at it… _The Autobot Matrix of Leadership. This is it… This is the card that Avian was talking about!_ "Hot Rod, we're about to take Unicron down! I play the magic card, 'Autobot Matrix of Leadership,' which upgrades Hot Rod to his stronger form, Rodimus Prime, Leader of the Autobots! But that's not all!" And Jaden looked at Hot Rod, who changed into a bigger version of himself. And then Jaden saw… "It can't be…" he whispered, his eyes wide. But everyone saw it…

_Musical selection here… "The Touch" by Stan Bush._

"Now, Jay," Syrus said. He was standing in front of Rodimus Prime, holding what looked like the planet Saturn, with rings made of a dull silver metal and the planet itself made of a yellow metal and the center a glowing orb of blue light. "Now, Jay…We'll light our darkest hour…"

"Syrus…" Jaden whispered. "And that's not all, Zane! When the Autobot Matrix of Leadership is on the field…Unicron is automatically destroyed and you lose the rest of your life points!" And as he said this, Syrus pulled the Matrix of Leadership apart and the orb of light flew toward Unicron. As soon as it touched the huge monster, Unicron flew backward, green light shooting from the energy fields destabilizing in his body. He flew up into the air and one mechanical leg blew off of him.

"Destiny…you cannot…destroy my destiny!" Unicron shouted as he blew apart. And something else, effects no one could've predicted, occurred. The light of the Matrix touched every student under the grip of the Society of Light, breaking the hold the light of destruction

had upon them. Even Sartorius, the Society leader, felt the light of the Matrix break its hold on him. And Zane was freed from the darkness holding his heart.

"Sy…I'm sorry," he said, looking across the field at his brother's spirit.

"You didn't mean it, big bro," Sy answered, coming over to his brother. "And it'll be okay," he added, touching his brother's cheek with glowing hands. Abruptly, Sy faded out.

"NO!" Jaden and Zane cried out, knowing they'd lost their brother forever. But then they heard shouting from within the Academy. It was unintelligible at first, but then the person yelling came into view. It was Tyranno Hasselberry and tears were streaming down his face, but he was smiling.

"SARGE! GET IN HERE! IT'S A MIRACLE!" Jaden took one look at Zane and the two boys raced to Hasselberry and then back into the academy halls. They tore through the groups of students and into the infirmary. Miss Fontaine was sitting in a chair, dumbfounded.

"I…I can't believe it…" she said in shock.

And there, sitting in a bed, looking very, very tired but very much alive, was…

"SYRUS!" Zane and Jaden shouted, laughing and crying as they threw their arms around their little brother.

_So… should I do an epilogue, everyone? I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill Sy off. He's too cute, darn it! Well, read and review, everyone and tell me if you'd like an epilogue. Thanks!_


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Hello, everyone! Yes, this is the final chapter of "The Touch." I'm glad you've all enjoyed it so much. I just couldn't pull the trigger on Sy. Thanks to all of my reviewers; syrusfanatic12, KisunaFuji, 15animefreak15, lunarlight20, griffinvamp, emilyhall205,dr-fan/mai-lover and Kuvos. I love to write, but you enjoying the story makes it so much better to write!_

_**Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own the Yu-Gi-Oh or Transformers franchises.**_

"Syrus…we thought…I killed you…" Zane began. He still couldn't believe he'd killed his baby brother.

"I came back, Zane," Sy said weakly, lying against his pillows, "so you didn't kill me. And I saw your duel. Jaden, you saved Zane…"

"No, Sy, you saved him. Yugi would probably say it's your heart in this deck so you saved him through me…But don't you ever scare us like that again!" Jaden said, throwing his arms around Sy.

"Jay…" Sy said softly.

And then, a happy motherly voice said, "Delivery! I brought some treats!" It was Miss Dorothy, the card shack and student store owner carrying a bunch of goodies in her arms. "How's the patient, Fonda?" she asked, bringing Miss Fontaine a cup of coffee.

"I…still can't believe it…Syrus was clinically dead for over 40 minutes. He had no brain activity, no heart rate…But he's going to be just fine."

"Can he have some visitors, Miss Fontaine?" another female voice asked and Alexis Rhodes stuck her head into the room. Behind her were her brother, Atticus, Tyranno Hasselberry, Chazz Princeton, Bastian Misawa and Aster Phoenix. The last shrank back when he saw Zane. Miss Fontaine nodded. 

"I think that would be good for the patient, actually," the redheaded nurse said. "C'mon in, kids."

"Private Truesdale, don't you give us a scare like that again, soldier," Hasselberry said, sitting down. "We thought you were headin' to meet the great generals!"

"You carried me in here, Hasselberry," Sy said softly. "Thanks…" He held up his hand for the big boy to shake, but instead, Hasselberry gave him a hug.

"I'm…sorry I tried to take the Sarge away from you. I should be dishonorably discharged for trying to take a guy from his best friend! Can you forgive me, Private Truesdale?" Sy nodded and Hasselberry set him gently back down into his pillows.

And then Bastian approached the bed. He was back in his customary green turtleneck and Ra Yellow coat. However, he hadn't had time yet to dye his hair back to its natural color. "Hello, Syrus."

"Bastian? Are you back with us?" Sy asked. "You're not in the Society of Light anymore?"

"The Society…is gone, Syrus. It happened when the Autobot Matrix of Leadership was played and…I still don't know how this happened, but you somehow appeared on the field…and people came back to themselves…"

"I was there…" Sy said softly. "I saw Jaden fighting with my deck and I saw Zane using Unicron, so I wanted to help Jaden and my deck. And it worked…"

"I'm just glad you're all right, Syrus," Bastian said.

Next Chazz came up to the bed. "Glad you didn't bite the big one, Syrus. Wouldn't be the same without you…" he admitted.

"I didn't know you cared, Chazz…"

"Quit it, Shorty…" the dark haired boy responded. For Chazz Princeton, that was a lot of emotion.

Atticus Rhodes ruffled Syrus's hair. "Glad you're okay, little blue."

And Alexis bent and kissed Sy on the forehead. "You were so brave out there, Syrus."

"Thanks, everybody…" Syrus was so sleepy, he couldn't keep his eyes open. He drifted off. 

Aster Phoenix had held back, not because he didn't like Syrus, but because he felt like he'd been the one that had ultimately caused Zane to become evil. "Ummm…" he said softly, and the group turned. "I can just…"

"Aster…" Zane began, "don't blame yourself. I think, had someone else beaten me, I would've gone dark even then. Probably…if you'd beaten me at the graduation duel last year, Jaden, it would've started then. I had problems after what happened with Camula…So Aster, it isn't your fault, what happened. But if you're here to apologize and sit with us…you're welcome to and I accept your apology, though it wasn't necessary." 

Aster nodded. "Thanks, Zane. So he'll be okay?" The dark-haired duelist nodded.

Miss Fontaine came over to the group to check on her patient. "He's going to be fine now, but he's going to need quiet and a lot of rest."

"Miss Fontaine," Zane asked, "can everyone stay here if we're quiet?" Eight pleading faces looked at the nurse. She looked back at their earnest expressions and nodded. 

"You can stay." And so the kids took position in chairs all around the bed. Jaden took Sy's left hand on that side of the bed, while Zane took his brother's right hand. Then Alexis sat next to Jaden, Bastian sat next to Alexis and Hasselberry sat next to Bastian. Atticus sat next to Zane, Chazz sat next to Atticus and Aster sat next to Chazz. Each teen resolved to stay with Sy until the next morning.

And so, the group of eight fell asleep that night around the little blue-haired duelist's bed. And they were not alone. "You did very well, all of you," Optimus Prime whispered. "And again…all are one…"

**THE END**


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